Firenze Fiera has announced the appointment of architect Elisa Guidi as the new artistic director of the Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato (MIDA), which will be held from April 25 to May 3, 2026 at the usual venue of the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. The decision comes ahead of the 90th edition of the event, historically dedicated to the promotion of artistic and traditional crafts. Elisa Guidi, an architect by training, is currently general project coordinator of Artex - Centro per l’Artigianato Artistico e Tradizionale della Toscana, a role she has held since 2004. Her career is marked by prominent positions both nationally and internationally. Since 2015 he has been on the Board of ECA, European Crafts Alliance (formerly WCC Europe), and served as the association’s president from 2020 to 2023. In addition, between 2016 and 2024 he served on the board of Fondazione MIC - Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche di Faenza, consolidating his experience in the enhancement of traditional artistic crafts.
Since March 2023, Guidi has been a member of the Advisory Board of Craeft, Craft Understanding, Education, Training, and Preservation for Posterity and Prosperity, Horizon, Europe, Research and Innovation Action, funded by the European Commission. His role has included overseeing and coordinating initiatives designed to ensure the transmission of craft skills to future generations and to promote the cultural sustainability of artistic crafts. In January 2024, the architect was also appointed to the board of the Artistic Orientation Committee of the Biennale de Révélations 2025, overseeing Italy’s participation as the event’s host nation. The appointment as artistic director of MIDA represents a further step in Guidi’s journey, entrusting her with the task of defining the fair’s new exhibition concept, in collaboration with the management offices of Firenze Fiera.
“For the Mostra Internazionale dell’Artigianato, which will celebrate its first 90 years in 2026, a milestone that I would say is unique in the world panorama of fairs on handicrafts, we have decided to rely on a highly professional figure, who has always collaborated with various initiatives on our exhibition,” said Lorenzo Becattini, president of Firenze Fiera. “Together with Elisa Guidi we will try to stage an even more beautiful and attractive event, interpreting new trends more effectively, keeping memory alive and relaunching the future. MIDA 90 will also be able to draw on the support of JUMP Communication as the new National Press Office with the task of coordinating communication activities on a national scale, expanding the media narrative of the fair in view of a historic milestone.”
Concurrently with the appointment of the new artistic director, Firenze Fiera announced the establishment of a new national press office, tasked with managing the event’s communications and public relations ahead of the next edition. MIDA, which has almost reached the milestone of 90 years of activity, confirms itself as one of the main events for Italian craftsmanship, capable of attracting exhibitors and visitors from all over Europe. The fair, which has always focused on the quality and innovation of its exhibition projects, is therefore preparing to celebrate an important anniversary with a program that, under the leadership of Elisa Guidi, could mark an evolution in the exhibition language and in the enhancement of craft excellence.
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| MIDA toward 90 years: Elisa Guidi new artistic director and new press office |
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